Emergency signal devices for automobiles, trucks and the like



J. J. GILBERT 3,114,129

EMERGENCY SIGNAL DEVICES FOR AUTOMOBILES, TRUCKS AND THE LIKE Dec. 10, 1963 Filed March 13, 1961 IN V EN TOR,

JACK J. GILBERT,

FIGS

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,114,129 EMERGENCY SHGNAL DEVECES FER AUTO- MQBELES, TRUCKS AND THE LEKE Jack E. Gilbert, Suifern, N.Y., assignor to Adler-Gilbert Enterprises Corp, New York, N.Y., a cerporation of New York Filed Mar. 13, 1961, Ser- No. 95,231 3 Claims. (Ci. 340-87) The present invention relates to an emergency signal device for automobiles, trucks and other vehicles stalled on the road so as to alert oncoming drivers and indicate that help is needed.

An object of this invention is to provide an emergency signal device of the character mentioned, utilizing a flag which may be a white one for such is a recognized symbol of distress on the road and a lantern emitting preferably a red light to indicate caution or danger, the special feature being its novel and improved construction and association of parts, all cooperating to maintain assembly and which requires no tools to assemble or take part.

A further object is to provide a novel and improved signal device of the nature set forth, which can be mounted atop the antenna or on the upper edge of a low cred window of an automobile.

Still a further object thereof is to provide a novel and improved emergency signal device having the mentioned attributes, which is simple in construction, easy to manufacture, reasonable in cost and which is eflicient in carrying out the purposes for which it is designed.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as this disclosure proceeds.

For the practice of this invention, one form it may assume is to have for instance a metal tube carrying a white flag and from its top end a lantern having an electric bulb and preferably a bi-metal flasher associated with a socket from which an electric cord extends with a suitable plug for connection with the socket of the automobiles cigarette lighter to get a current supply. The lantern is made of a transparent red plastic casing composed of two identical lengthwise halves which are set rim-edge to rim-edge. Said casing which is upright, has a reduced lower portion which serves as a neck frictionally inserted into the top end of said tubular member which carries the flag. Said casing serving as the lantern lens, houses the bulb, flasher socket unit, and each of its halves has internal flange means to grip said unit and mount it correctly upon full assembly of said lantern. At the top end of said casing halves there is a pin frictionally holding them together. Initially this pin is set part of its length into a socket therefor in one of the halves and upon bringing said halves together, said pin enters a mating hole or socket in the other half.

To position this signal device for use, its tube may be set onto the automobiles antenna which is then raised so that the flag is above the vehicle so that it can be easily seen or the lower end of said tube may have a clamp to straddle the top edge of a lowered window pane of the car. Although such clamp may be permanently secured to the tubular member, it may be of a construction which is detachable therefrom to attain compactness in storage.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this spec ification, similar characters of reference indicate corre sponding parts in all the views.

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view showing a preferred form of the signal device mounted on the antenna of an automobile.

FIG. 2 drawn to an enlarged scale with respect to FIG. 1, is a fragmentary, part in section elevational view of said signal device.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one of a pair of identiice cal parts which compose the casing housing the lighting means used in this device.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a clamp for mounting the signal device on the upper edge of a lowered window pane of the automobile.

In the drawing, the numeral designates generally one form of the emergency signal device shown mounted in FIG. 1 on the antenna 16 of an automobile 17, which is one manner of its mounting in use. Said device consists of a tubular member 18 which is normally upright, carrying a white flag 19 extending laterally therefrom from near the upper end thereof and from the top end of the tube, there extends a red transparent plastic casing 20 which serves as the lens for the electric bulb 21 housed therein with preferably an associated bi-metal flasher means 22 set in the socket 23 from which the electric cord extends out of said casing. This cord ends in a suitable plug 24 for detachable association with the electrical cigarette lighters socket on the dashboard of the automobile, to get current to operate said bulb 21.

The lens casing 29 is made of two identical longitudinal halves which are denoted generally by the numerals 25, 25 and hence a description of one will suffice for the other. The casing half 25 is a shell which may be of semi-circular cross section whose lower portion is of reduced diameter as at 26. The larger upper portion 27 has two spaced internal flanges 28, 29 which follow the interior contour of the shell and preferably, the notches 23, 29' shall be semi-circular. Within this shell 25, downwardly from the top end 30, there is a boss 31 with a hole to frictionally receive the horizontally extending pin 32 which is intended to be likewise received in a mating hole in the shell 25 to maintain their assembly. In the rim of the shell, there are opposite notches 33, 33', so that when said shells are set rim-to-rim which is their relation in assembly, an opennig is provided for the electric cord 24. Though two such openings are afforded, only one is used for a duplex cord, but two need be made so that we do not need a right and left mold to make the parts 25, 25', and hence only one mold is sulficient.

To assemble, the bulb 21, the flasher device 22 and the socket 23 are associated as a unit into a casing half to set therein so that the flasher lies in the notch 28' and the socket lies in the notch 29'. The pin 32 is set into the boss 31. The cord 24 extending from the socket is set into the notch 33. Now the other casing half is set rim-to-rim with the first, whereby the pin 32 will be entered into the hole therefor provided in the second casing half and will maintain the assembly as a unitary structure which is positively maintained by the frictional fit 0f the parts 26 as a neck into the top end of the tube 18. The mating flanges grip the socket and flasher device tightly for the dimensions of the notches 28', 29' are so chosen.

If desired, the signal device 15 may be associated with a clamp designated generally by the numeral 35, so that it may be mounted on the upper edge of a lowered window pane 36 of the automobile 17. This clamp may be made of a rectangular piece of resilient sheet metal bent into a horizontal tubular form of substantially rectangular cross section with a skirt 37 overlapping and in a predetermined spaced relation with one of its upright walls, said wall 38 and skirt 37 being adapted to grip the pane 36 when the latter is positioned between them. To releasably mount the lower end of the tube 18, the clamps top and bottom walls 39, 40 may each have a hole to slidably admit the lower end of the tube 18; said holes 41, 42 being slightly out of alignment so that when the tube end is entered through both such holes, the tube will be tightly gripped.

This invention is capable of various forms and applications without departing from the essential features herein disclosed. It is therefore intended and desired that the embodiment herein shall be deemed merely illustrative and not restrictive and that the patent shall cover all patentable novelty herein set forth; reference being bad to the following claims rather than to the specific description herein to indicate the scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. An emergency signal device including a hollow tubular member, an elongated, hollow, transparent casing divided longitudinally into two substantially identical halves, each said casing half having transverse internal flanges, one end of said casing being of substantially reduced cross-sectional area, said one end of said casing being received in one end of said hollow tubular member, means engaging both said casing halves at a predetermined distance from said one end of said casing, an electrical socket and bulb positioned within said casing, said flanges being disposed to straddle and grip cooperatively said socket, and electrical conductor means passing through said casing connected to said socket and bulb.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said means engaging said casing halves comprises pin and socket means.

3. The device of claim 1 in which the lower end of said hollow tubular member is received on the free end of an antenna of an automobile.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,252,395 Cohen Aug. 12, 1941 2,305,656 Yopp Dec. 22, 1942 2,704,839 Sweet Mar. 22, 1955 2,719,908 Morrison Oct. 4, 1955 2,812,423 Penna Nov. 5, 1957 2,856,598 Bokair Oct. 14, 1958 2,880,405 Lerman Mar. 31, 1959 

1. AN EMERGENCY SIGNAL DEVICE INCLUDING A HOLLOW TUBULAR MEMBER, AN ELONGATED, HOLLOW, TRANSPARENT CASING DIVIDED LONGITUDINALLY INTO TWO SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL HALVES, EACH SAID CASING HALF HAVING TRANSVERSE INTERNAL FLANGES, ONE END OF SAID CASING BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCED CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA, SAID ONE END OF SAID CASING BEING RECEIVED IN ONE END OF SAID HOLLOW TUBULAR MEMBER, MEANS ENGAGING BOTH SAID CASING HALVES AT A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE FROM SAID ONE END OF SAID CASING, AN ELECTRICAL SOCKET AND BULB POSITIONED WITHIN SAID CASING, SAID FLANGES BEING DISPOSED TO STRADDLE AND GRIP COOPERATIVELY SAID SOCKET, AND ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR MEANS PASSING THROUGH SAID CASING CONNECTED TO SAID SOCKET AND BULB. 